Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rating: 5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Screened at Austin Film Festival
I liked Glass Onion, but I felt like the film was just Ryan Johnson reaping the rewards that came from the first Knives Out film. It was fun and kept the viewer on the edge of their seats, which is the main goal you want from a whodunnit story. However, I felt like it was simply lacking the complexity and the old-time mystery feel as the first film, presenting a story that felt like a grand-scale modern day mystery in response to the COVID shutdown during that time. However, with his newest entry into the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man, Johnson crafts a modern day masterpiece in the whodunnit genre, a hilarious murder mystery that will genuinely shock and have the entire audience questioning what is going on; this is easily the most shocking and smart film in the series so far.
When a monsignor turns up dead during a Sunday Service, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is tasked with traveling to the church to find out what happened and who the real killer is. Through this, he encounters a new group of people that are harboring secrets and have their own motives for the murder, played by Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
From the first scene until the final credits roll, Johnson crafts such a beautiful whodunnit that easily keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats and constantly keeps them guessing. He is able to really craft this story around the characters and the setting, both which have such massive impact on the film as a whole. The characters are complex and completely bonkers, reminiscent of the other groups of characters throughout this series so far. However, I think Johnson finds the perfect blend of the characters and setting that make this film work so nicely. At the same time, this picture is jam-packed with thematic material concerning religion and the finding of/loss of faith and how they both work together in the reason on why this murder takes place.
I think this works especially well with Craig's Blanc and Josh O'Connor's Rev. Jud Duplencity. The two battle over religion and what faith means to them, and Johnson writes this dialogue brilliantly. Not only does this work as a fun modern murder mystery, but it also serves as a film that is heavily focused on religion and how it influences people from different walks of life. In a post-screening Q&A at the Austin Film Festival, Johnson commented on how this is a deeply personal movie for him as he struggled with his own thoughts of religion and faith throughout his life, and that is heavily reflected here.
With all of that being said, I did want to comment on O'Connor's performance in particular as he is brilliant in this film. Johnson allows him to take the reins of the picture and he makes this character his own in all the best ways. I love how Johnson molded this character, and he thankfully really allowed O'Connor to make it beautifully his own. At the same time, Craig and the ensemble cast all do such a fantastic job, with each of the ensemble cast members having their own unique and fun role in the story. Each character is crafted for the audience to have an emotional connection with, and that is why the audience feels so invested in the story and to find out who committed the crime.
In regard to the murder in this installment, I think Johnson hits the jackpot with this story. The entire murder and the mystery behind it is set up beautifully and expertly, showing how great of a storyteller Johnson really is. I would go as far as to say he is the modern-day Agatha Christie, and this movie is a perfect representation of that. There is a major twist here towards the climax of the film that could easily be held in the same regard as the twist from Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It's hard to truly talk about the story and the twists and turns throughout the movie without giving away the entire film, but I can assure you that this may be the best murder mystery plot in the series so far.
I would also like to point out that the cinematography, set design, and lighting add so much to the entire movie. A massive part of this entire film takes place at the Church, and how Johnson and his filmmakers are able to capture the tone of the church and the story is so beautiful. These filmmaking techniques really elevate the picture, and they add so much to the different layers of the story and the characters. I also think it is quite interesting in how Johnson has his lighting in this film, with it highlighting certain characters and plot elements. I have also never seen a movie so concerned with crafting the natural lighting and how it can change so quickly over the course of a couple of minutes. Johnson said he wanted to capture how the sun shined its light in his hometown, but I think there is a much more complex reasoning behind some of his lighting choices.
Wake Up Dead Man is the perfect definition of a classic whodunnit, and Johnson is the king of this genre in this day and age. He has been able to craft these story elements into the modern world, cementing him as one of the best directors in this genre. This movie does everything right, and it is a fantastic follow-up to the two previous films. Johnson has expressed desire to make these movies for the rest of his career, with the character of Benoit Blanc coming back to solve numerous murder cases. If they are anywhere as great as this picture was, I am all here for it.
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